Exercise bars



Aug. 25, 1970 P. SYLVESTER 3,525,521

EXERCISE BARS Filed Aug. 4, 1967 INVENTOR,

ATTORNEY,

United States Patent Office 3,525,521 Patented Aug. 25, 1970 3,525,521 EXERCISE BARS Pat Sylvester, 9635 Ave. L, Chicago, Ill. 60617 Filed Aug. 4, 1967, Ser. No. 658,518 Int. Cl. A63b 1/02 US. Cl. 272-62 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a horizontal bar for gymnastic purposes and its mounting for use in a building doorway. The novel structure pertains to the details whereby the horizontal bar may 'be quickly adjusted to different width of doorways and so that the mounting is solid and safe and tends to tighten as the structure is used. One feature of the novelty pertains to the use of a T-member in which the cross member of the T is not precisely at right angles to the shank of the T.

This invention relates to means for mounting a horizontal bar in a building doorway to serve for gymnastic purposes.

One of the outstanding features of this improvement pertains to specific structure whereby the device, when mounted in a doorway, tends to become more tightly fixed as it is used.

Another feature relates to the specific details whereby the door frame engaging members of the bar are inclined to the vertical while yet the actual contact is cushioned by rubber.

One of the advantages derived by following the teaching of this improvement is that expensive specially machined metal parts and solid wooden parts to provide an inclined face are not required. On the other hand, the mounting to obtain an angular relation of parts involves the odd shape of a crossbar and T-member mounted in a metal pipe, the wall of which is open along its length whereby the shank of the T-member may extend through the opening.

The above and additional features and advantages are described and claimed in the following specification and claims when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a horizontal bar of the type claimed in use in a doorway;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 of FIG. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIG. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows and showing a front elevation of a horizontal bar in use;

FIG. 5 shows the several essential parts of the bar of this construction in disassembled relation; and

FIG. 6 is a view of an alternate type of slidable connection.

Referring in detail to the several figures of the drawings, 1 identifies the oppositely facing sides of a door frame and 2 indicates the upper side of the same door frame. The horizontal bar 3 extends between the abutting faces 1 of the door frame and its opposite ends are secured between the faces 1 of the frame as will now be explained in connection with FIG. 4. As clearly shown in FIG. 4, the bar 3, which is 'broken away to indicate greater length than that illustrated, is provided with threaded portions 3 at its ends. A coupling 4 is screw threaded to the threaded portions 3 This coupling has internal threads 4 adapted to have screw threaded engagement with the threads 3 The end of the coupling 4 farthest from the threaded portion 4 is reduced and provided with internal threads 4'. Into the threads 4 is mounted the threaded shank 5 of a deformed T-member 5 so that the shank of the member 5 protrudes through the threaded portion 4' and into the adjacent end of the bar 3. The crossbar 5 of the T-member having the shank 5 extends at an incline from the shank member 5 as contrasted to being at a angle to the shank 5. The reason for this peculiar angle of the crossbar 5 with respect to the shank 5 will be clear from the following description.

The crossbar 5 is mounted for movement up and down in a guideway 6 which may be formed of a pipe, as shown, the side of which, toward the bar 3, is cut open to a width sufficient to permit the shank 5 to move up and down within the opposite sides 6 of the opening. When the T-member is installed in the pipe member 6, at least one of the ends of the pipe is open so that the cross member 5 may 'be introduced into the pipe 6. After such introduction, the opposite ends of the pipe 6 are closed by any suitable means, as will be described.

A bracket 7 consists of a flat plate having marginal walls 7 projecting away from the horizontal bar per se and within which walls a rubber pad 8 is held, the rubber pad being adapted to engage the surface of the door frame 1. In this construction the guideway 6, whether it be a pipe or a channel member, has its upper end welded to the bracket 7 and the upper end of the pipe or channel member is closed 'by any suitable means to prevent the accidental removal of the crossbar 5* from the guideway 6. The lower end of the member 6 is spaced away from the bracket 7 so that the member 6 is on an incline to the vertical. The lower end is fixed with respect to the Wall of the bracket by any suitable spacing means as by welding therebetween a small piece of metal. Similar means is used for closing the lower end of the guideway 6.

In this assembly it will be observed that the rubber pad 8 serves to take the thrust of the horizontal bar against the opposite door faces 1.

It will be understood that the foregoing relation of parts is used at each end of the horizontal bar 3 as is shown at the right hand end of FIG. 4.

In this assembly of parts as above described, the side walls of the pipe 6 serve to retain the crossbar 5 suflicie'nt- 1y to prevent accidental withdrawal of the crossbar from the space within the pipe 6. This is made possible by reason of the fact that the shank 5 is of slightly less diameter than the diameter of the crossbar 5.

In FIG. 6 there is illustrated an alternate construction which may be used in lieu of the part 5 which is circular in cross section and adapted to fit within a type of pipe 6 which is round in cross section. According to FIG. 6 the shank 5 and the cross member 5 are substituted by a square headed bolt having a similar type of shank but the head 5 of which is tilted slightly with respect to the shank and is adapted to be used in a channel member 6 which is substantially square in cross section. FIG. 6 also shows a modified form of guideway in which the guideway is formed of a channel member having parallel sides, the extreme outer portions 6 of which are bent toward each other, whereby the head of a bolt which is square will be retained for slidable movement.

Although the cushion 8 is identified as a rubber cushion, the cushion may be made of any kind of resilient material whether natural or artificial.

I claim:

1. A horizontal bar for mounting in a door frame comprising fastening means for opposite ends of said horizontal bar, said fastening means including a distorted T- member at each end of said horizontal bar, each T-member comprising a shank and a crossbar inclined at an acute angle with respect to its shank, means connecting each end of said horizontal bar to the corresponding shank, means for adjusting the length of said horizontal bar, and channel members adapted to be fixed in and inclined with respect to said door frame for receiving said crossbars.

2. The horizontal bar of claim 1 wherein said means for adjusting includes coupling members, and means adjustably mounting one coupling member on each end of said horizontal bar.

3. The horizontal bar of claim 2 where the opposite ends of said horizontal bar are threaded exteriorly, said coupling members are screw mounted on said threaded ends, each said coupling member further having a threaded opening at an end thereof, and said shanks of said T- members are screw threaded and mounted in said threaded openings of said coupling members.

4. The horizontal bar of claim 1 wherein said channel members have side walls which are angled towards each other at their edges whereby the crossbars of said distorted T-members are securely held in said channel members.

5. The horizontal bar of claim 1 wherein said channel members are mounted on brackets which have marginal walls extending rearwardly, and cushions of resilient material on the rear faces of said brackets for engagement with said door frame.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,548,175 8/1925 Roseborough 272-62 849,035 4/ 1907 Westenhoif 27262 2,482,003 9/1949 Kaufiman 211124 X 3,047,293 7/1962 Schaeffer 272-62 ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner T. BROWN, Assistant Examiner 

